Cigarette extinguisher



Aug. 8, 1933.

J c. GLOMB CIGARET TE EXTINGUISHER Filed Oct. 23

Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The object which I have in view is the provision of a new and improved extinguisher for cigarettes and the like, whichwill provide convenient means for receiving, extinguishing and 5 retaining cigarette butts and thus avoid the dirt and litter incident to grinding off the burning tip in an open ash tray and preventing the exposure of a smoking cigarette butt in the open.

Generally speaking my improved cigarette extinguisher comprises a closed vessel having a tube extending downwardly therein and into which the cigarette butts are inserted from above.

Means are provided for supporting the cigarettes in the tube from which they are ejected downwardly into theinterior of ,the vessel by :hg insertion of other butts into the top of the The burning lower ends of the cigarette butts are extinguished by lack of air and by contact with the upper end of the preceding butt, and no odor nor smoke can escape from the interior of the vessel insomuch as the only opening therein is the bore of the receiving tube which is corked by the uppermost butt.

In the accomparwing drawing, wherein I have illustrated a practical embodiment of the principles of my invention, Fig. l is a vertical sec- .tion of the extinguisher.

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the receiving tube shown in vertical section with two butts contained therein.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the tube.

Referring to the drawing, the body of the extinguisher is a closed vessel which may be made of metal and may comprise a bowl portion 1 and a cover or lid portion 2 which may fit onto the bowl. The lid 2 is a tight closure except that at its center top it is provided with downwardly extending and contracting throat 4 represents a tube which depends from the lower end of said throat and within the vessel, the lower end of said tube being spaced sufiiciently above the bottom of the vessel so that cigarette butts even of considerable length will, when ejected from the tube, fall down into the vessel.

The upper end of said tube is preferably expanded to form a collar 5 which fits upwardly about the lower end of the throat 3 and said tube is rigidly attached" to said throat as by means of solder.

The tube is provided with longitudinally disposed slits 6 cut through the wall of the tube and the intervening tongues 7 serve by their resiliency to hold the cigarette butts inserted into the tube from falling down by gravity into the bottom of the vessel. These tongues may be so slightly bowed inwardly or the body of the tube may be of slightly less diameter than the normal diameter of a cigarette so that the butt will not drop through the tube by gravity but must be forced downwardly by pressure exerted by the butt or butts subsequently inserted into the upper end of the tube. The lower end of the tube is preferably slightly enlarged in diameter as at 8, so that it will not obstruct the passage of the tube. By extending the slits 6 from the expanded collar 5 to the enlarged lower end 8, the tongues '7 are free to resiliently and lightly hold the butts in the tube.

At the lower end of the tube 4 I prefer to attach to the wall of the tube the pair of opposed leaf springs 9, whose lower ends protrude below the lower end of the tube and are brought inwardly slightly to obstruct the free gravity fall of a butt, thus forming spring retaining fingers.

The cigarette butts are inserted into the tube 4 3o burning end downwardly. In the case of the butt first inserted in the empty tube, the burning tobacco will be quickly smothered in the tube and no smoke or odor will escape up the tube and out through the throat of the vessel, as the 35 tube is corked by the body of the cigarette. When a second butt'is inserted into the tube itwill force the first butt downwardly within the tube. Thus in Fig. 2 I have shown the first butt at 10 and the second butt at 11, the lower end of the first butt resting on the ends of the spring fingers 9. The burning end of the second butt 11 is smothered and extinguished against the upper end of the first butt 10 and the butt 11 v corks the upper end of the tube and thus prevents smoke or odor escaping from the vessel.

The next butt inserted into the upper end of the tube will force the previously inserted butts downwardly, spreading apart the spring fingers 9 and allowing the first introduced butt to drop down into the bottom of the vessel. The butts are thus in turn ejected from the lower end of the tube and accumulate in the bottom of the vessel as indicated in Fig. 1.

When the vessel has received a number of butts the lid may be removed and the butts dumped. The lid is then replaced.

I prefer to provide the vessel with lateral extended shelves or ledges 12 at the side upon which cigarettes may be laid.

, a bowl and a snugly fitting removable lid, the

lid being provided with an opening in its top, and a tube depending from said opening within the vessel and the vessel when the lid is in place being smoke-tight except for the bore of the tube, the tube being of proper internal diameter to be plugged against the upward escape o1 smoke by the insertion of a cigarette butt therein, said tube being slit longitudinally to provide pressure tongues which are bowed inwardly to lightly support the butt in the tube.

2. In a cigarette butt receiver and extinguisher, the combination of a vessel comprising a bowl and a snugly fitting removable lid, the lid being provided with an opening in its top, and a tube depending from said opening within the vessel and the vessel when the lid is in place being smoke-tight except for the bore of the tube, the tube being of proper internal diameter to be plugged against the upward escape of smoke by the insertion of a cigarette butt therein, said tube being slit longitudinally intermediate of its ends to provide pressure tongues which are bowed inwardly to lightly support the butt in the tube.

JOHN C. GLOMB. 

